The Scarlet, 9

7: 58 p.m.

"Come in!" Minnie chirped as she finished brushing her fur for the millionth time. Her bedroom had been cleaned about six times since Minnie had made the impromptu sleepover announcement, and she still wondered if it was enough. She did her best to remain positive, and smiled to see a particularly favorite maid of hers enter the room. "Good evening, Mrs. Potts."

"Good evening, my lady." The older woman curtsied, and though she had been there the longest out of all the servants, she still felt it was the right thing to address Minnie by a title than by name. "Your guest has arrived at the front door."

"Perfect! I'm nearly done." Minnie then picked up a small bottle of perfume, and began puffing it around her neck, tossing her hair back and forth. "I'm so glad mother and father aren't around. They'd never approve… but now, really, as long as they keep taking those silly trips to business and parties, I can have…" She stopped when she saw her plump servant giving off a knowing look. "What? What is it?"

"I couldn't help but notice, my lady, but that's the same perfume you put on every time you go out to get the paper."  She leaned over, picking up the bottle and shaking the contents inside. "And as long as I've known you, that's the only reason I've ever seen you put on perfume."

Minnie's large, golden framed mirror reflected her rush of nervousness. "… I am having people over, after all. I should… smell my best!"

"I also couldn't help notice that this is a new dress." Mrs. Potts tugged gently on Minnie's sleeve, reaffirming the new fabric and the freshly cut price tag. "And as long as I've known you, you've loathed to waste money on new clothes when you have an entire closet full of nice dresses."

"I should look nice when I'm having guests over." Minnie snatched the perfume bottle, knowing exactly what was being insinuated but far too prideful to admit it, as easy as that would have made things. She pouted, putting the bottle down and picking up lipstick. "Honestly," She sighed as she rolled the tube to get the red peaked out. "Are you going to pick on everything I'm doing?"

"… I can't help but notice that's also a brand new tube of lipstick."

Lips stuck in mid-pucker, Minnie very quickly put the lipstick tube back on her drawer. "Don't you have a door to answer?" She hopped off of her chair and headed out of the room before she could hear more of her maid's well meaning teasing. So what if she was getting fancied up? Should she just dress in rags to see her good friend of over ten years? This is what friends did! Friends cleaned their houses for the arrival of other friends, and got new things to surprise the friends with, and maybe practiced for a few hours in the mirror how to flutter their eyelashes to make those friends notice how much effort they put into looking pretty. Her high heels clicked on the marble floor of her partially empty home, having sent most of her servants off early for the evening so she and Mickey could have their privacy.

She stopped at the front door to take a breath in order to calm herself. One more toss of her hair, one more chance to smooth down her dress, and then she put on her best smile. She grabbed the door handle, opened it, "I'm so glad you could… Oh, non non non!"

The shouted negative wasn't directed towards Mickey, who stood on the stone steps holding a small tin blue box in his hands. It was directed towards Mortimer Rodawn, standing right next to Mickey and holding up a bouquet of fake flowers. Judging by Mickey's deep set glowering, the rat had been there for some time, barging in where he wasn't wanted. "Of course I could make it, my fair duchess!" Mortimer tipped his hat. "I tried to get the urchin here to bug off, but some people really can't read the atmosphere." Mortimer was clearly illiterate as he couldn't read the absolute loathing coming at from the duchess. "Now, how's about we take a gander inside? I've always wanted to see the inside of your mansion!"

Mickey and Minnie exchanged a tired look. Mickey knew that there was little that could be done about this matter. Minnie was a proper lady of society, and they were supposed to accept these hardships and never raise their voice, never complain, and never tell a man that she'd rather throw herself into a woodchipper than ever date him. If Minnie dared to speak out against this, the entire elite community would know about this, think ill of her, and –

"Frankly, Lord Mortimer Rodawn, I could not care less about what you want." Minnie snapped, startling Mickey, Mortimer, and even herself. "I invited Mickey to my home, and not you. I have known Mickey since I was a child, he is my closest and dearest friend, and do you know what you are to me?" She yanked out one of the fake flowers from Mortimer's bouquet just to point at him with it, and ensure that this time he would know who she was talking to. "Nothing more than a pain in my neck! I have no interest in being courted by you, and I never shall! And if I ever see you on my property again, I shall personally call up the Chief of Police and ask him lock you up until you learn some manners no matter how many centuries that takes! Now, goodnight, monsieur!" She slammed the door, breathing heavily now that all her anger had been spent. Then, after realizing a minor detail, she quickly opened the door again, pulled Mickey inside, and then slammed the door again.

"Wow." Mickey raised his eyebrows, amazed by that display. If he hadn't seen it in person he wouldn't have believed it happened.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Minnie smoothed down her dress again, embarrassed but not exactly regretting what she had done.

"I'm not." Mickey was fairly certain he could fall for her all over again with that proud rant. It may have cost her social points, but it was starting to seem like she didn't care about that anymore. "But, c'mon, let's forget about him."

"A lovely idea." As Minnie turned to face him, she could now get a better look at the box in his hands. "Oh… what do you have? Mickey, you didn't have to bring me anything!"

Nor did he want to, but Ludwig and Gyro had demanded it. "Uh… oh, this thing?" Mickey swallowed as he held it up. "I, uh, I had some money left over… so… I gotcha some tea." Laced with a sleeping drug that was sure to knock her out for a few hours. When she was fast asleep, Mickey would sneak out, and do his nightly patrol for the Scarlet, and then before sunrise he would return to the mansion and the duchess would be none the wiser.

"Mickey, you're so sweet! I simply must pay you back!" She lifted the tin box out of his hands, missing the guilt written all over his face. "We'll have some right away." She linked her arm around Mickey's and led him down the hallway. "And we'll have all night to talk and catch up. There's only so much we can get done for a few minutes at a fountain every day."

Mickey nodded, but didn't add on. As she continued to lead him on, he mostly nodded or agreed with whatever she had to say, as he was still weighed down from the sin he was going to have to commit. He knew it was for the good of all, but it still felt like a very terrible thing to do to his dearest friend. She'd never forgive him if she found out. As they came back to Minnie's room, Mrs. Potts was patiently waiting at the door, and Minnie gently placed the tea tin in the maid's hands. "Could you please make some tea for us, Mrs. Potts? We'll be in here, catching up."

"Of course, it should only take a few minutes, my lady." Mrs. Potts stepped aside to let the two in, but once again couldn't resist a gentle ribbing. "Should I knock before entering? I would hate to interrupt anything important."

Mickey was oblivious to the implication, so he blinked in confusion at the beet shade of red Minnie began to turn. "Y-You should knock no matter what! It's only polite!"  She all but shoved Mickey into the room, hurriedly closing the door behind them and then laughing nervously to try and get rid of the odd tension. "… She's, ah, getting to that age… that very silly age…"

Mickey shrugged it off, removing himself from Minnie's grasp to take a good look at the room. He whistled at the size of it, hands in his pockets as he walked around. "Gee, ya could fit a dozen carriages in this place! Yer not just livin' in the lap a' luxury… ya got the whole darn body of luxury!"

Minnie clicked her tongue at the poor joke, but still smiled, since even when Mickey was being tacky, it was always done in that same fun fashion. "Make yourself comfortable."

"Done and done." Mickey walked along a wall, seeing old gifts from Minnie's parents that she had rarely touched. He wondered which business venture they were hunting down now, or which exotic vacation they were wasting time on now. The folks were rarely home, and each time they left they stayed away even longer than last time. He ran his fingers along one of her drawers, amazed that even wood could be polished and decorated to look implacably fancy for the wealthy. "Where are yer folks now?"

"I'm not really sure." Minnie sat down on a long red couch, watching Mickey explore. "To be honest, I haven't seen them in a year. They send a letter once a month along with some gifts." She made an airy gesture to the long shelves with jeweled baubles that held no meaning for her. "They're always telling me how to behave and who to be friends with, but, well, if they're not here, why should they have a say?"

"Ya seem ta be doin' pretty swell on yer own anyways." He stopped as he saw a familiar object on the desk drawer besides Minnie's large bed. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing straight, and it was still there. "Say, ain't this…" He picked up a toy kaleidoscope, rusted by age and the gold paint peeling off at the edges. "No way! This old thing is still around?" He looked towards Minnie as he asked this, and she was once again that embarrassed yet still very pretty shade of red.

Of all the things to forget! She knew she should have hidden that thing, but it had become such a staple of her room that she completely overlooked it when it came to the clean-up. "… I… Well, it's… it's an important memento! It's… only natural I would still have it, isn't it?"

Mickey held up the kaleidoscope to his eye, and twisted it around, still able to see the faded colors blend together. "Still works, too! Ha ha, would ya look at that!" He was easily able to step back into his youth, moving all around to try and get different colors and textures to mix-up. "Aw, I can't believe ya held onto it!"

"Of course I did. Don't you remember how I got it?"

"Like it was yesterday!" He lowered the toy down, more than ready to relapse into childhood memories. Yet when he faced her, seeing her lay her arms on the armrest and watching him with those heavenly eyes of hers, he promptly forgot how to speak. She had this power to stop him with one movement of those curly eyelashes, and the longer they stared at each other, the more Mickey forgot. Moments like this were when he could make up the Scarlet's romantic lines in his head, but lose the ability to give them life. If he'd been wearing his mask and feathered hat and speaking in an altered voice, he could easily get down on one knee, take her arm, and proclaim his everlasting love for her before kissing her deeply as he pressed her into the couch cushions. But he was Mickey, the paperboy, and he was forgetting how to breathe.

Three knocks touched the door. "Your tea is ready, my lady." Mickey nearly dropped the kaleidoscope as his desires screeched to a halt, and he flimsily returned the toy to its home.

Minnie suddenly sat up straight, unaware of how much time had been lost in the staring contest. "Come in!" Mrs. Potts winked knowingly as she entered, carrying a silver tray filled with tea supplies. She laid it out on a small table in front of the couch, and as Mickey walked over, he noted that like most of Minnie's dresses, the tea set was violet and it made him smile before seeing the tin box on the tray, which brought back his guilt with resounding force. Mrs. Potts partially curtseyed when she left, closing the door behind her. The tea had already been poured into two small cups, and Mickey uncomfortably sat down besides Minnie as she took one cup. "It smells so nice… like… blueberries!" She closed her eyes as she took her first big sip, which was fortunate because Mickey couldn't bear to look at her as she did it. "Mmm… and such a good taste. I must say, I never knew you had such a good eye for tea."

"Ha… ha, w-well… I kinda picked one out at r-random, that's all…" Mickey took his own cup to avoid suspicion, and began adding spoonful after spoonful of sugar. "It's not that big of a d-deal, really…"

"Don't be silly. It's from you, of course it's a big deal." She took another long drink, and then leaned back, relaxed. "In fact… it really makes me happy. After seeing you fight with Mortimer earlier, I thought maybe you were mad at me."

His tea was becoming more sugar than liquid. "Mad? Whaddya mean? I ain't mad at ya. Never could be."

"You were just arguing so vehemently about the Scarlet." Minnie blinked slowly, her relaxation beginning to spread throughout her body. "Like when you said how I kissed Scarlet as my first kiss, and…" She lowered her cup as a dim light flickered in her mind. "… And… how could you have known that? The Scarlet and I were all alone when that happened…"

Mickey had nearly been killed several times during his times as the Scarlet, but this was when he had been the most terrified. "Uh… w-w-what? I, uh… y-y-ya told me! Yeah, ya told me all about it!" He began to mix his spoon in the tea, but in his panic he was spilling it all over the floor.

"No I didn't…" Minnie yawned quietly, trying to put her cup back on the tray. "I didn't tell you anything about… oh, goodness…" Another yawn escaped her, and she lightly slapped her cheeks, trying to focus. "I must have stayed up too late… last night…"

"M-M-Maybe ya should just get ta bed!" Mickey pushed the little table away with his feet, and wound up spilling the milk and cream on the floor as well. "Early ta bed and early ta rise makes… makes…  early risers?"

"No, no, I'm all right… And… I shouldn't be mad, too…" Minnie pushed down on the cushions in an effort to keep her body straight, but it was beginning to bob back and forth in her exhaustion. "There are... some things I haven't… told you… as well… like… the second… the second bloody…"

Mickey's head whipped around as he caught those words. "The… the second bloody… y-ya mean the Second Bloody Sunday?" She had a secret about that horrible day that she was hiding from him? But she never hid anything from him! "W-whatcha mean?"

"… They told me… not to…" Minnie's body began to flop forward, but Mickey caught her by the arms, trying to shake her awake.

"C-C'mon, Minnie, stay with me!" He knelt down on the floor, keeping eye contact. This had to be karma for trying to drug her in the first place. Why would Minnie know something about that day that Mickey didn't? He didn't remember all of it, but Ludwig and Gyro had given him all the details. "What about the Second Bloody Sunday? What did ya hide from me? Who said ya couldn't do somethin'?"

"Mmm… They…  were supposed to… to…Oh, Mickey…" She wasn't going to be giving him anymore answers, and her entire body heaved forward, landing on top of Mickey as he wound up on his back on the floor. He waited a moment, and then heard her soft breathing. She was out, and he was out of answers.

"… There's a 'fallin' fer me' joke in here somewhere." Mickey shook his head, and began to get up, carrying Minnie in his arms. Though she couldn't hear him, he still felt a need to apologize as he took her to bed. "Maybe I can explain someday, Minnie… but… I never wanted ta hurtcha. Never." He laid her down on her soft pillow, and pulled the silk sheets over her small frame. "I'll… try ta make up fer it. But I'd never be mad atcha. Never ever. But… ya got every reason ta be mad at me." Was it his imagination, or was she smiling? Or maybe those pert, lovely lips always fell into a happy form? The way they formed begged for a kiss. "… Don't tempt me." He brushed some of her hair off of her cheek, and then walked towards her door.

Mrs. Potts was cleaning up the hallway, and Mickey nodded to her as he passed. "She got a little tired… hit the hay early. Mind showin' me the guest room?"

"Right next door to hers, sir."

"Thanks!" He flashed her an innocent smile, and entered the guest room. Once the door was closed, he fled for the window for his escape. It was time for the night to really begin.

~*~

9: 15 p.m.

"It's finally happened." Katarina was the first to speak after the long silence. "You've lost your mind. Are you even listening to yourself?"  Since someone had spoken, the other revolutionaries in the winery began to mumble back and forth to each other, unsure if they agreed or not. "What happened to seducing Donald?"

"I guess your little mind can't connect the dots." Daisy stood up at the head of the long table, fully confident in the plan she had just announced. "I am getting closer to Donald, and soon I'll have access to the entire mansion. When I do, I can get information about Scrooge McDuck's vault… everyone knows that whatever isn't invested in the Tache bank is kept locked up in the vault. If I can find the code to break open the vault, we can steal the money. With that much loot, we'll not only get the supplies we need, but it'll send a huge message that the wealthy aren't as invincible as they think they are!" She slammed her hands on the table, silencing the mumblers once more. "Isn't that what you wanted from me, Katarina? To get close to Donald so we could have an advantage? Well now I've got one, so either come up with your own plan or follow me!"

Katarina growled, tapping her long nails on the table. Beside her, Max took the chance to speak up. "It does sound dangerous… but I could try and get started on something to help open the vault, if Daisy gets me the info." The body next to him leaned in closer, worried about the idea. Max had yet to tell his companions about the extra help, and for now Roxanne was disguised under the wrappings of his old bedsheets. She was a bit of an odd sight, but upon bringing her in, Max had said that his 'friend' could only afford thin clothing, and since this winter was becoming particularly harsh, no one had thought to question it too much. The revolutionaries were close enough to trust Max and any friend of his.

"See, even the smartest kid in France wants in." Daisy waved to Max, and the expressions of the others began to change in agreement. "We can't fail! They'll never know what hit them!"

"If you want to put us all in jail, have fun." Katarina got out of her seat. "… I need some time to think about this. I'm… starting to wonder if I'm really cut out for this."

Daisy's hands clenched, but the owner of the winery held up a hand to try and stop any fighting. "If she wants to go, let her." Peg was much more at ease than the people she was hiding, but that could have been because she was the oldest among them. She often saw them as her own kids, and as Katarina neared the door, Peg gave her an affectionate stroke between her ears. "It's a scary business, but we've all got to trust each other. Saying you want to change the world is one thing… but when it becomes real, you might not know what to do. So… take your time, kiddo." Katarina hesitated, rubbing her arm before getting out of the winery. Peg walked to the other end of the table, trying to put things back on track. "I'm not letting you guys use my place for free. If you've got an idea, you have to go for it."

Daisy slowly sat back down, doing her best to put her frustrations about Katarina's flip-flopping aside. "All right, we lost one coward… but we gained more help." She folded her arms as she tried to get a better look at the newcomer next to Max. "So, Max, who is this new friend?"

Max felt all the eyes in the room on his and his friend, and for a moment wished like Katarina he could run away. But Roxanne squeezed his hand, and a flood of strength kept him still. "… She's…  you have to promise to keep calm about this, all right? Calm and rational? And since you trust me, you know I can explain logically about her presence."

"… Oh, this isn't going to end well." Daisy pressed a few fingers to her temple.

Ignoring Daisy's well earned reaction, Max nodded to Roxanne, and she began to tug down on the sheets around her. She only exposed her head, and as her hair flowed down, flickers of recognition began to arise in the eyes of the other men and women at the table. Max kept Roxanne's hand tightly close to him. "Her name is Roxanne Shyster, and she- "

"Shyster?!" Daisy knocked over her seat as she got up, having memorized many names of the elite. "As in the family that works for the Tache bank?"

Roxanne timidly held up a finger. "Um… technically, my dad works there, I don't…"

"I feel so much better now." Daisy grumbled sarcastically, clutching her arms in anger. "Max, I know I told you to get a girlfriend, but if you've just endangered us all for a few kisses…"

"She's on our side!" Max rushed into the accusations before any further embarrassment could be said. "I told you to trust me! She really wants to help us! She's not going to tell a soul about what happens here tonight, and we can use her influence and money to our advantage… just like you're doing with Donald! … Minus, uh, the… seducing and tricking thing."

Roxanne picked up the rally, though she would definitely savor the adorable look Max went through as he said 'seduced'. "I've seen what goes on in the bank. My father and others treat the poor terribly, and never lift a finger to help others. They don't care what happens to you, but I do. I can try and get information from my father and the bank, as long as it helps the rest of you. If you just give me a chance… I will do my best to help improve your lives." She then held up Max's hand, raising it high above her. "You said it yourself, Daisy, that Max is the smartest kid in all of France. So if you can trust him, you can trust me."

Daisy buried her face in her hands, and she could hear whispers of disapproval among the others. Even Peg looked skeptical, biting down on her lip as she studied Roxanne. Yet when Daisy found speech again, she sounded defeated. "… The first thing I'm going to buy with Scrooge's millions is some aspirin." She faced Roxanne and Max, and while she wouldn't admit it right away, the conviction they held together was both admirable and adorable. "I do trust Max… I trust everyone in this room. I even trust Katarina, as much as I'd like to throttle her. We're a family. And if you want to become a part of this family, you're going to have to put everything on the line for us. If we want your help, you can't refuse. You might wind up as poor as us, or even in jail. Once you cross this line, you can't come back. So I don't want you doing this for a cute boy, or because you're a teenager and want to get your dad mad."

Roxanne put her hands in her lap, conveniently forgetting to let go of Max's hand. "Those are just bonuses, miss." Max made a startled noise in his throat, and Peg let out a loud laugh, slapping the table at his befuddled choke.

Daisy fought off a smile that threatened from the charm Roxanne was able to create. "The name's Daisy, not miss, and if you're in for this job… We've got a long night ahead of us."

~*~

11: 00 p.m.

It had been a fairly calm night for the Scarlet and his hidden helpers. Aside from a few petty muggings and one or two fights he helped break up, the city was quiet this night. Ludwig and Gyro expected Mickey to ask to go back to Minnie's home early since there was little activity, yet Mickey never once voiced this wish. He was even wearing his commoner clothing underneath his costume, just to make the switch back easier when the sun came up, yet he never once said he wanted to go back as soon as possible. They believed he had been maturing, and while that was partially true, he also wanted some time to think things over. What was he supposed to tell Minnie if she asked again how he knew about the kiss? What did she know about the Bloody Sunday that he didn't already know? What was Duke Fantome's next plan to try and bring life to a Third Bloody Sunday? Did Fou Medecine die of natural causes or was there something sinister behind his passing? Who had devised the trap with the horse and cow?

All of these questions and many more passed through his mind as he balanced walking on rooftops, seeing over the city. He had a million of them, but no answers to any of them, even from his genius friends. Yet the night wouldn't give him peace from too long as he heard a feminine scream from an alley below the building he was passing. "We've got some trouble!" He pulled out his small pistol, giving a twirl as he started to run. "Get me ready, guys!" With a flick of a few switches back at headquarters, his boots became magnetized, and with ease he was running straight down the wall. Down in the alley there was an overweight cat in blue – Pete, the Chief of Police, laughing maliciously – trying to hang onto the wrist of a much smaller female feline – Katarina – and from the way Pete was laughing and leering at her, there was no way he was longing for simple conversation.

The Scarlet jumped off the wall and landed on top of a trash can, making enough noise to grab the attention of both cats. He grabbed the trash can lid and threw it at Pete's face, making the officer howl in pain as he released Katarina. "Why… you runt! Wait'll I get my hands on youuu!" He lunged for the mouse, but Mickey jumped again, this time on top of Pete's head, giving him a kick to the neck and he leapt off in time for Pete to fall and get his big head stuck in the trash can.

The Scarlet kept his back to Katarina, ready to defend her further. "Are you hurt, my lady?"

Katarina rubbed her sore wrist, getting an eyeful of her sudden hero. "I… I'm all right… but who are you?"

"I'd love to give a proper introduction, but I don't think now's the time for pleasantries." He stood in place as Pete freed himself from the trash can, smelling as fiercely as he snarled. "Now, how about instead of harming nice ladies, you go home and take a shower?"

"You're the one who's about to get their clock cleaned!" Pete lumbered towards the vigilante, swinging his fists around. "Don't you know who I am!"

"Pete Felin, a pleasure." He replied calmly as he merely stepped from side to side to avoid the punches. "The Chief of Police. I had a run in with one of your boys not too long ago. He wasn't terribly polite either."

"Stay still!" Pete roared as he tried to slam his fists together from each side, but all the Scarlet had to do was duck and Pete wound up hitting himself. The hero grabbed Pete by the sleeve, yanked him in close, and smacked him in the face with the blunt end of his pistol. Pete stumbled backwards, and the Scarlet fired directly at Pete's shin. Katarina gasped, but no blood came from the shot, as rubber bullets weren't made for that purpose. Pete fell over backwards, landing in a pile of trash cans, and moaned in pain, giving up for now.

"This is the second time I've seen a corrupt policeman, and I must say, I'm very disappointed." The Scarlet returned the pistol to its holster, wagging a finger as Ludwig fed him warning lines. "A third strike will cause me to take action. Your duty is protect the people, no matter the gender, no matter the standing. I strive for equality… and I will treat you and your men as equally as any other criminal if you push me." With this flowery speech finished, he returned to his attentions to Katarina. "I don't think he'll be bothering you for a while, my lady. Head for home and get some rest."

"… You're him." Katarina whispered once she understood. "… The one everyone's been talking about. You're… the Scarlet. You saved my life… H-How can I ever repay you?"

"Just knowing you're all right is all the payment I could ever need."  He bowed formally, but as he straightened up, Katarina quickly leaned in and kissed his cheek – the same cheek Minnie had kissed hours before. Katarina then ran away into the night, leaving Mickey to rub at his cheek, annoyed, but not entirely at her. "… Thanks for that warning, guys."

"Oh, no!" Gyro shouted accidentally directly into the microphone, causing Mickey to wince.

"A little late to warn me about her trying to kiss me now…"

"Not that!" Gyro tugged at Ludwig to make him point at the same screen so he could see the trouble. "The Duchess is waking up!"

Mickey changed his mind – this was the most horrified he had ever been. "What?!"

"The dosage in the tea mustn't have been too small!" Ludwig groaned, hitting the keys as he tried to find the fastest route for Mickey to take back to headquarters. "I only put in a little because she's such a small lady… you've got to get back here so you can drop off the outfit!"

"I don't have time for that!" Mickey took to wall running again, hastily grabbing the edge of the roof so he could get on top of the building. "When she's fully awake, she'll start looking for me, I know it! I've got to get back there!" No matter how many times the birds were telling him this was a bad idea, he continued to head back to the mansion. He'd think up a plan later – he needed to get there before Minnie realized she was alone!

~*~

11: 05 p.m.

The first thing that Minnie noticed when she fully regained consciousness was that she was alone. The lights were still on, and there was no sign of Mickey anywhere in the room. She slid out from under the sheets, trying to figure out what had happened. The last thing she remembered was having Mickey in her room, talking about the kaleidoscope, and then… things were a blur. She looked at her bed, and tapped her cheek in thought. She must have fallen asleep, even if it was rather sudden. Then… oh, Mickey, that sweetheart! He must have tucked her in!

She cupped her cheeks as she imagined how that must have happened, and fluttery giggles escaped her. She must thank him at once! She stepped away from the bed –

And the Scarlet slammed open her windows, standing on her balcony. "Yes! Made it! Now I just need to- " Alas, in his frantic panic to get back, he had mixed up which room was the guest room. Now he stood in Minnie's room, exchanging a wide eyed stare of utter shock with the duchess. Nope, THIS had to be the most terrifying experience of his life. "… Good evening."

"Monsieur Scarlet?!" Minnie stepped backwards until she hit the bed, a hand to her heart. "W-what are you doing here?"

"… Excellent question." He racked his brain for any excuse, favoring quick answers over smart ones in an attempt to keep up his cool and calm persona. "I… heard… about the young man in the next room over. Michael, or Ricky, or something." He rubbed his fingers on his chest, as if he hardly cared. "I wanted to check the boy out. I wouldn't want someone unscrupulous person staying with my most precious."

Minnie jumped to a conclusion, but not the one Mickey wanted. "Wait… I get it now!" She pointed an accusatory finger toward the Scarlet, pushing herself away from the bed. "You're the one who told Mickey I kissed you! That's how he found out!"

"I did-"He stopped himself from adding 'not', and even the brilliant birds had to admit Minnie could be creatively clever when she wanted. "I… did! Oui, I did. That is exactly what happened."

"You had no right!" Minnie put her hands on her hips, angry for reasons that refused to share. "It was none of his business! And I'll have you know that Mickey is completely scrupulous! He's super scrupulous, and I can have whatever company I please!" She then picked up her dress to make it easier to walk faster. "I'm going to get his side of the story right this instant!"

Mickey gave up on listing the most terrifying moments of his life, since Minnie insisted on topping them. "No, no, no, that's completely unnecessary! I believe you!" But Minnie, in her petty anger, wouldn't hear of it, and was opening the door. In the timeframe of fifteen seconds, he ran back out onto the balcony, jumped to the next window, forced it open, ran to the door and grabbed a hold of the inside lock, snapping it shut. He could hear bits of applause from the birds for that feat.

"Mickey?" Minnie knocked on the door, trying to get his attention. "Mickey, get up! The Scarlet's here!"

"H-Hold on, Minnie, I'll… oooh!" Drat, he'd spoken while still using the microchip, and while still sounding like the Scarlet!

Minnie began to knock even harder, twisting the locked doorknob in her hand. "Monsieur Scarlet, what are you doing in there? Mickey, what's going on?" She pounded on the door, thinking the worst was happening to the two men that were close to her.

The one man kept his body against the door, and with his mind cornered, he could only think of one silly solution. "S-So! You're called Mickey, are you? Have… you been treating my most precious well?" He then stuck out his tongue, taking off the microchip and slipping into his poor boy dialect. "Y-yer what?! Whaddya goin' around callin' Minnie that? I oughta box yer ears, sneakin' around in a girl's room!" he then put the chip back on, and continued the single conversation while Minnie was worriedly waiting outside.

"You think you can take me on? It's very unbecoming to fight in the house of a lady."
"I-I'll do it, I will! I'm gunna make sure ya leave Minnie alone! T-take this! And that!"
"Perhaps you're the one who needs a few lessons! Have at you!"
"Y-Ya better leave Minnie alone! She's my best friend in the whole world, and if ya think ya can get away with hurtin' her…"
"I believe you're the one who's been snapping at her lately, you even tried to deny this lovely invitation!"
"I'm gunna cut ya down ta half my size!"
"I'd like to see you try!"
To make it realistic, Mickey began to trash the room, throwing chairs and tossing items off the shelves. He figured this was either an act of brilliance or madness, but as his ego played into it, it started leaning towards the latter.
"I must say, for a lowly paperboy, you have quite the fight in you! And you're dashingly handsome as well! No wonder you're such good friends with the duchess! I may not be a match for someone so dashing and noble!"
"Yer not gunna get away with any of this, no matter how smart and talented ya are! Get back here! Oh, no, he's goin' out the window!" With the room sufficiently in shambles, Mickey opened the window, a little proud of how well he had pulled this off. "Don'tcha worry, Minnie, I'll go after him!"
"Oh, no, I truly may be in trouble now! I should make a run for it!"

Minnie continued to call out Mickey's name – only Mickey's, and not the Scarlet's – but from the sound of it, they were already gone.  With a soft whine, she pressed her forehead to the door, lamenting over what she thought was partially her fault. She held onto a hope that it was mostly men being stupid and prideful, and it was some small comfort that the fight sounded more ridiculous than threatening in any way.  As for the secrets she wanted to tell Mickey, it seemed like they would have to wait for another night. Or at least until she got this Scarlet matter settled.

~*~
11: 15 p.m.
Gyro turned off the microphone to keep the conversation between himself and Ludwig private. "Ludwig… I have to ask. Did you purposely put a low dosage in the tea tin?"

Ludwig took off his glasses to rub some dust off with his thumbs. "I was thinking if Mickey couldn't return, the duchess would get angry with him, and we'd have the separation we wanted. But the boy has more wits than I thought."

"You have to admit, he's got a good head." Gyro pushed his own glasses further up his beak, knowing he should be frustrated with the romance but finding amusement and relief with what had happened instead. "That's one of the reasons we picked him. I think we might have to face facts… if they're going to be apart, it won't be by our hands."

"I doubt it'll be by that Rodawn's hands either! That guy was so thick, a milkshake would be jealous!" They both had a good chuckle at the bizarre metaphor, and decided for once not to lecture Mickey about his ill-be-gotten romance. The night was still young.

~*~
12: 00 a.m.

Only special members of the Tache Bank could enter so late at night, and Pete was one such member, along with the special guest behind him. He was still sore from the beating he had endured, but he had also faked how much the fight had really hurt him. He and his guest headed up the stairs to Fantome's office, but a loud scream stopped him from knocking on the door. Pete stared at the closed door, recognizing the voice as Clarabelle's. The scream faded, replaced with horrific sobbing and whimpering of pained apologies. Reluctantly, Pete managed to open the door to witness the horror in person.

The Duke was sitting behind his desk, holding a fresh batch of tea, Earl Grey for tonight, in his hands.. On the floor laid the remains of a tea set, including a tea kettle that was out of hot water. Also on the floor was Clarabelle, holding her face that was covered in scalding hot water, and as Pete heard her crying out how sorry she was, he almost stepped back.

"Good evening, Chief." Fantome caught him, placing the cup down on his desk on top of a lacy doily. "Don't mind her. She and Horace did the play as I instructed, but apparently they couldn't even keep the annoyance out of commission for one night. He was still seen the next night, fighting and doing whatever it is heroes do. You just can't get good help these days."

Pete tore his eyes off the injured woman in an effort to pretend she wasn't there. "Th-That's not true, sir! You know I'm really great help! Me and my mole set up the Scarlet, and we managed to get one of his bullets!" He pulled out one of the rubber bullets from his pocket, having provoked the shot on purpose. "We should be able to learn something from this, right?"

"Perhaps." Fantome glanced over at the woman who was walking out from Pete's shadow. "Is that all you did?"

Katarina smirked, caring less about the state of the cow and more about the news she was ready to share. "Uncle Pete is right. After what I've learned, we're going to be of great help."

End of Chapter Nine.